They said placing the top Army, Navy and Air Force medical staff in one building would help keep military medicine relevant, strong and effective.

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs Jonathan Woodson said nothing can replace face-to-face conversation. He said the Defense Department needs more “enterprise solutions” to mental and physical health.

The consolidation was ordered seven years ago by lawmakers when they passed the Base Realignment and Closure Act.

Advertisement

This story is part of Federal News Radio’s daily DoD Report. For more defense news, click here.

Tom Temin is the host of The Federal Drive, which airs from 6-9 a.m. on 1500 AM in the Washington, DC region and online everywhere. Tom has 30 years experience in journalism, mostly in technology markets. Before coming to Federal News Radio, he was a long-serving editor-in-chief of Government Computer News and Washington Technology magazines.